Shades of Cool
by TeeBeMe
Summary: "Yup," Xin popped her lips. "Because we all know love has absolutely nothing to do with marriage." GaaOC. AU.
1. Room for one more troubled soul?

_I've always written like high school fics and whatnot so I wanted to try to write a story set in the ninja world. Set in an AU though. I was a little sad after If I Knew was taken down and wanted to stop writing Naruto fics but I decided to suck it up and try another crack at it. Despite some of the dislike Xin receives for being my main OC, she's going to remain my main. Sorry, she's just been with me too long for me to scrap her. I'll try to tweak her personality though. Hopefully this is a little better than If I Knew. Hope you guys enjoy. Review. I don't own a thing except Xin._

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><p>"<em>Why the hell did I let them talk me into this? This is complete and utter bullshit. What's the matter with my parents? How could they even entertain the idea of marrying–oh holy shit, they're going to agree to this bullshit, aren't they?" <em>

Xin quietly sat, shooting evil looks at the several individuals occupying the room. She fidgeted erratically, her fingers twitching. She was ready to burst as two of Konoha's council members discussed the agreements with two of Suna's council members.

She frowned, her eyes casting a blank look as she counted each wrinkle adorning all four council member's face. _"Lord have mercy, who has that many wrinkles? The years has not been kind to these four fucked up fossils..." _

"Are you listening?"

"How pissed would you be if I said no, I'm not listening?"

"Xin..."

Her smile turned sheepish as each adult shot a disapproving glare. She dropped the smile moments later and stiffly sat up. "It's not like I have much of a say, right? For one reason or another our lovely representing council members–" She paused to shoot a sarcastically sweet smile at the two. "Believe that I would be a perfect match for your cra—er...crazily talented Kazekage..."

Tsunade shot her a look that clearly said _'nice save.' _

_'Nice save my ass...' _

* * *

><p><em>Xin's P.O.V<em>

I had a week to prepare before I was being deported to Suna for my impending marriage. Just a week to get ready. How the hell was I supposed to prepare for something like that? Like moving your entire life from one village to another to marry a psychotic stranger was completely normal. Okay, he wasn't psychotic. He's reformed. Or so I'm told. I mean, of course the council members wouldn't just flat out tell me that their Kazekage is still a raging homicidal manic. Not that I had room to talk. I still couldn't get the bloodstains out of some of my ANBU uniforms.

Did Suna have ANBU squads? I sure as hell hoped so because if they demoted me back to being a regular Jonin, I was going to flip my shit. I worked hard to get where I was and I would be damned if I was demoted because of some stupid marriage.

For the most part I spent the week hanging around the people I grew up with, whether it was sparring or hanging out at Ichiraku's. For old time's sake, they kept saying. What the hell did that mean anyway? It wasn't like I was dying or anything. I didn't speak to my family members except for my sisters and cousin. Why the hell would I speak to any of them? They had betrayed me, readily agreeing to forking me over to a once enemy village. I had nothing to say to my parents, my grandparents or the Elders of the Hyuga clan.

My send off wasn't anything spectacular but all of my friends were there to see me off. Tsunade also came along to wish me luck. I tried not to be too bitter during the whole thing, tried to smile and not throw a tantrum as I was passed around to exchange hugs and advice.

It just wasn't fair. How could they all just smile and hug me? There was nothing to be smile about. This was not an occasion for hugs. But what did I expect? It wasn't like any of them were being forced to sacrifice their freedom and happiness. They all got to live their happy little blissful lives while I was being sent away to a God forsaken desert in the middle of nowhere to marry a former psycho.

Jeez, I should really stop giving him grief about his past. It wasn't like my past was any better than his. Okay, I didn't randomly smother people in blood smelling sand just for looking at me wrong like he did but I did kill without mercy. Hell, I even enjoyed it. I knew that I was the psycho of Konoha. It was probably why I was the top contender to marry the Kazekage. Out of all the girls in my age group, I had never seen any of them take life like I had. They usually killed their victims off quickly and only if they were forced to.

I offered one last smile to my friends, wondering when I would see them again, and left the place I had known all of my life to start an entirely new life.

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><p>Suna was...different.<p>

Despite our shaky alliance for the last five years or so, I never had a mission where I had to travel to or through Suna. It was completely different from Konoha. Konoha was all sorts of greens, surrounded by large and luscious trees with stone roadways and modernized houses. Suna was sand. Like, it was literally sand. I wasn't kidding when I said the damn village was in the damn desert. There obviously wasn't trees because what trees do you know that could survive in the desert? Cactus? The damn buildings were even made of sand.

I approached the ninja stationed in front of the large gates that blocked me off from the village that I was going to call my home. Sweat soaked my skin, drenching my hair and causing my clothes to stick to my skin in the most uncomfortable way possible. I was extremely cranky due to the excessive heat and sand blowing into my face from the strong winds. I had to travel three days and two nights to get here and I was not a happy camper. Honestly, the only thing I wanted at this point was a bath and a bed.

"I have business with the Kazekage," I stated simply, coming to a stop in front of the guard. He eyed me warily, trying to figure out what the hell a regular Konoha kunoichi would want with the leader of his village. I bit down the urge to sneer at him. His stance was rather weak, his grip on his weapon rather loose. I could have easily slapped the weapon from his hand and then break his arm before he could sound an alarm. I paused in the middle of my thoughts and frowned. I really needed to control my anger and low tolerance.

The gates suddenly creaked open before I could say anymore and a tall blonde woman stepped out from behind the protection of the gates. She was much taller than me, but then again, it wasn't that hard to be taller than me with my meager height. Anyway, she was tall, tan and blonde. "You're Xin, aren't you?" She asked in a particularly deep voice. I fought down the urge to reply with a sarcastic answer. Who the hell else would I be? I was more crankier than I had initially thought. Instead of snapping at her, I forced a cringe-worthy smile.

She offered a smile that could have matched mine. "Welcome to Suna. I'm Temari."

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><p>Temari frowned softly as the small woman ambled next to her. She hadn't really been sure of what she was expecting of Xin but it certainly wasn't...this. She was just so small. She looked so out of place and just so...<em>small. <em>But a strange aura hung over her. It washed over Temari and nearly choked her. The aura reminded her of blood. It mixed into the girl's natural scent, bathing her in a sickeningly sweet smell that twisted and pulled at Temari's stomach.

"Are we meeting with the Kazekage?" Xin finally broke the awkward silence between the two of them. She hadn't really cared that the two hadn't said one word since Temari had greeted her and allowed her entrance into the village. She had spent the time looking around and trying to familiarize herself with her new home. But the silence did eventually get to her.

"Not at the moment. He's currently in a meeting with some of our council members, tying up some loose ends with the new...arrangements," Temari replied, trying to avoid outright saying what was actually being discussed. "I'm taking you home where I'll...debrief you on some things."

Home? Debrief? What was there to debrief her about? She was marrying the Kazekage so that there would never be any turmoil between Konoha and Suna. Well, hopefully there would never be any bad blood now that she was marrying him. And if there was...she knew what would have to be done. Her forehead ached at the thought. She said no more, opting to quietly follow after the tall blonde. She didn't really have a lot of questions, which surprised her. Usually Xin could ask about ten questions in the span of two minutes. But she only had maybe one or two questions.

A large house suddenly came into her vision, made of sand, of course. It was so different compared to her home in Konoha. For one, she lived in the middle of the Hyuga compound. That was practically a mini-village and of course she lived in the biggest house in the compound.

Temari opened the front door, leading her in as if she owned the place. Xin quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as she slipped off her black sandals and neatly set them to the side, looking around. She couldn't make much of the house seeing as how she was only at the front door. Temari veered left, leading Xin into the living room. The little woman all but crumpled into the tan couch _(of course it's tan. Tan like the damn sand),_ the exhaustion showing plainly on her face. Temari settled in the armchair to the left of the couch, silently watching Xin.

"First, let me just say I realize that this a big sacrifice you made in the name of peace. On my behalf of my village I want to thank you. I know you didn't want to agree to marry him," Temari began to say, watching as Xin sat up a little.

The pale woman shrugged blandly. "Gotta do what ya gotta do," Xin offered simply, staring at her blankly. The blank stare slightly unnerved Temari. Her eyes held no trace of emotion or even humanity. They were just blanked out.

"Right," Temari nodded slowly, slightly uncomfortable. "Well, as I said, my name is Temari. I'm the older sister of the Kazekage and I have another younger brother as well," Temari properly introduced herself.

Xin simply nodded. "I'm Hyuga Xin."

That was it? That was all she was going to say? Xin must have noticed the look in Temari's face because she quirked an eyebrow. What, did she expect a formal introduction? Well, what was there to say other than her name? She didn't need to know she had two sisters or anything useless like that. They'd probably never meet anyway.

"Well," Temari sat up a little straighter. "There are some things I'm sure you weren't informed of when it came to the agreement about the marriage," the blonde bit her bottom lip, searching Xin's face for any sign of anger for withheld information.

"What else is there? We're marrying to keep the peace between Konoha and Suna, right?"

"Yes..." Temari trailed off. "And no."

"And no? What the hell do you mean 'and no'?"

Temari rubbed her hands together, trying to figure out how exactly she was going to tell Xin the withheld information. "My brother has been the leader of the village for some time but the council felt as if the people didn't trust him completely due to the circumstances involving his past."

"You mean brutally murdering people, right?"

Temari actually glared at Xin for her blunt words. Xin simply scoffed but said nothing more. "The council claimed they didn't feel as if the people felt that Gaara was humane and reformed..." She trailed off, dark green eyes clashing with light lavender eyes. "So they had this idea of him marrying a woman so that the people would fully trust him. They figured him marrying a girl from Suna wouldn't seem...authentic enough. So that's when they brought up the idea of him marrying a girl from a different village..."

Xin's face scrunched together in thought. Temari remained silent, letting the words seep in. "So," She suddenly said. "Your people are unaware of the peace treaty."

"That's right."

"And they want an authentic marriage."

"Correct."

The room was silent once more as Xin mulled over the words. She rolled her lips together and played with the end of her ponytail that sat over her shoulder. Temari shifted, waiting for her to speak again. Seconds ticked by before her eyes met with Temari's eyes. "You're telling me this whole fuckin' marriage is a publicity stunt!?"

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><p>Temari was almost positive that Xin was seconds away from killing something. She wasn't entirely sure because she didn't know the girl too much. But she knew a look like the one Xin was wearing well enough to know that she wanted to kill something. Trailing behind her, Temari could clearly hear the little kunoichi mumbling to herself. Maybe Konoha should have reconsidered the choice they made when they picked Xin. She hadn't even spent an entire day with her and Temari knew that there might have been a couple of screws loose in Xin's head.<p>

"This is the Kage's tower," Temari suddenly broke through Xin's conversation with herself. "It's in the middle of the village. If you ever get lost, just come here," Temari directed her, leading her into the building. Xin would have to remember that. It was smack-dab in the middle of the village and plus it had a big-ass symbol on the front of the building. No way in Hell would she miss that if she was lost.

Neither female said anything to one another as they climbed the winding staircase that seemed to lead on forever. They approached the only doors on the top floor, Temari knocking twice before she walked into the room before she had permission. If Xin hadn't known she was related to the Kage, she would have thought Temari was rude.

The office was much more neater than Tsunade's office. There weren't a billion of papers everywhere paired with half-empty sake bottles spread about. There also wasn't a responsible assistant present wielding a small and chubby pig. Xin's heart sank at the thought.

Instead, there was two men present. One was laying about on the couch to the side of the room rather sloppily. All Xin could make out was his dark eyes and dark purple face paint. He was dressed in a black one piece with some random symbol on the chest that Xin didn't care enough to even think about. The oddest thing was the cat like ears that was apart of his black hood.

Sitting behind the neat desk with the neat stack of papers and cactus plant_ (of course it was a damn cactus plant)_ was who she assumed was her future husband. He had a shock of vibrant red hair. Red hair that reminded her so much of blood. His eyes were pale cyan with thick black eye rings and there was a dark red tattoo of the word love on the left side of his forehead.

Well. Xin raised her eyebrows. At least he was attractive.

"Um," She blinked stupidly. "Hi," She greeted, not knowing what else to say. The one sprawled across the couch sat up, a look of amusement dancing in his dark eyes. Xin looked towards him and dubbed him as the friendlier one of the two currently staring at her. "I'm Xin," She offered simply, eyes flickering back and forth between the two.

"Kankuro," the friendly one pushed himself up and flounced over to Xin. He held his large hand out for her to shake. She looked down at it, looked back at him, looked back down at his outstretched hand and finally took it. "It's nice to finally meet you, Xin. The three of us have been looking forward to this ever since we were told you actually agreed."

"Nice to meet you too. Now, do you mean since I actually agreed to being married for peace or for publicity?"

The room was filled with an awkward silence as Kankuro peeked over Xin's head to look at Temari. Before he could say anything, their younger brother finally spoke up. "You told her about that?" he asked, finally looking up from whatever document had had his attention. Xin blinked in question and then frowned. Were they not going to tell her the truth?

"I couldn't just let her think that's the only reason she's getting married."

"You didn't plan to tell me at all?"

"How did she take it?"

"Um, excuse me, I'm right here. I can answer."

"Wow, Xin. You've got a helluva grip. Think you can let go now?"

"You can ask her yourself, Gaara. She's right here."

"Obviously, I just said that."

"Your grip is getting tighter."

"By the tone of your voice, you weren't pleased."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Holy shit, I think I just heard my hand crack."

Xin blinked in surprise and realized she had yet to let go of Kankuro's hand. She blushed slightly and quickly withdrew her hand, smiling sheepishly as Kankuro rubbed his crumpled hand. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't know my own strength," She sheepishly stated. She suddenly turned to look at Gaara and stormed right up to his desk, leaning over it and planting her hands on the desktop. "I agreed to marry you for peace. Not to make you look better. That was not part of the deal. I have every right to back out of this marriage right now."

Gaara slowly looked up at her, eyes lazily roving over her. "The minute you back out is the minute you start a war," He stated simply, watching as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that something you can live with?"

"Are you threatening _and_ taunting me?" Xin hissed down at him, leaning slightly closer. "Listen to me, I have no problem reaching over this desk and ripping your fuckin' eyeballs out," She snapped lowly, her fingers twitching. When was the last time she had physically hurt someone? When was her last mission? When was the last time the thick smell of blood wafted around her, intoxicating her?

Gaara leaned forward, as if he was silently daring Xin to follow through with her threat.

"That's enough," Temari suddenly intervened, pulling Xin back away from her youngest brother. "You have every right to be angry with us, Xin. But threatening Gaara isn't going to solve anything. Everything has been agreed to. Are you really going to risk breaking the treaty just because we didn't tell you one piece of information?"

Xin huffed angrily and snatched herself away from Temari, folding her arms across her chest. "Listen, you don't have to like each other, you barely have to speak to one another. But you're going to have to at least coöperate, alright?" Temari watched in bemusement as Xin stuck her tongue out at Gaara while he simply rolled his eyes at her childish behavior.

What the hell had they done?

* * *

><p>"Understand that this will not be a marriage of love."<p>

Xin stared blankly across the desktop at the Kazekage. Or, her fiancé. Temari and Kankuro had left them seconds ago. Temari basically ordered them to at least get some ground with each other and talk. Get to know one another. Xin rolled her eyes. God, she hated everything. "Yup," Xin popped her lips. "Because we all know love has absolutely nothing to do with marriage," She sarcastically stated, arms folded across her chest. In turn, Gaara shot her a deathly look. She was starting to wonder if it was wise of Temari and Kankuro to leave them alone unsupervised.

They both stared at one another. Her stare was defiant while his stare held nothing but annoyance. "This marriage is a form of business and I will not love you." He continued to speak despite the clear annoyance he had for her. She only snorted and shook her head at his words.

"You sure know how to woo a girl, don't ya?"

He slowly exhaled, fed up with her attitude. Temari's words rang in his head before she had left him with this monster. _'Try to be understanding. She's out of her comfort zone. She's angry that we basically lied to her. She's not happy about any of this.' _He had to remember. He had to remember not to snap her bones in half.

"Have you ever thought of using a different color scheme other than sand?"

"...What?"

She was leaning her cheek against her fist, her elbow resting on the arm of the couch she was now slouched over. Her eyes were roving the length of his office, at the walls, the floor, and the carpet before finally landing on him. "The color scheme," She waved her other hand about, motioning to the room as a whole. "Everything is sandy colors. Sandy brown, sandy blonde. Tan. It's sand. Isn't that a bit–I dunno, boring? Looks like someone's Grandfather decorated this place. Either that or you really like the look."

Gaara stared at her for several seconds, at a loss. "That's what you're concerned about? The color scheme of my office?" He asked blandly. Was the woman stupid? Was he about to marry an idiot? Was it really too late to back out of this marriage? God, he was going to end up with an idiot for the rest of his life.

"Well fine," Xin huffed, her attitude coming back. "I was just trying to make conversation, ya prick. You don't have to be such a jerk about it all. The way I see it, I should be the only one in this room with a damn attitude."

"You _are_ the only one in this room with an attitude."

"Are you telling me now that you don't have an attitude?" She rolled her eyes. "You're just a jerk on the regular basis? Because let me tell you, it's not attractive. I mean, if I wanted to marry a prick with a stick shoved so far up his ass, I would've just went with Uchiha Sasuke. Least I could've stayed in my village."

Gaara would have slammed his head against the desk.

Xin could only roll her eyes.

What had they done?

* * *

><p>"So, when exactly will the marriage be announced?" Xin asked the same night as she sat in the living room along with Kankuro and Temari. The two elder sand siblings had returned to the Kage's office to see Xin pinned to the ceiling by Gaara's sand, shouting vulgar obscenities at him while he simply ignored her. It was amazing how she could switch her personality from a raging banshee to a relaxed woman. It also unsettled the two. Her ability to easily switch her emotions was just a tad bit disturbing.<p>

"Next week," Temari sat up in her seat. "After we announce it, we will begin to plan the wedding."

"We're actually going to have a wedding?"

"It has to seem authentic, so yes."

Xin shot the blonde a sour look but said nothing more. "You guys know you'll have to act like you actually like each other, right?" Kankuro pointed out, a grin threatening to take over his lips. Xin twisted up her own lips in disgust. "You know, like an actual couple. We have to have the public believe that you two want to get married. That you're in love."

"Tell that to your brother," Xin mumbled absently. She stood up with an exasperated sigh. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a shower and then take it down for the night. I'll...see you guys," She awkwardly stated before hurrying up the stairs.

The hot water drilled down on her body, relaxing her tense muscles. She leaned her forehead against the tiled wall and let out a long sigh. She had been tricked, basically. This was not really a marriage for alliance. She knew that was bullshit when she heard it. Out of the five great shinobi nations, Suna and Konoha got along well. The villages weren't the best of friends but their relationship were better than their relations with Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa. The Sand and the Leaf were least likely to have bad blood compared to the other three.

This was a marriage that would make Gaara look better. He would just seem so humane and good if the public knew he was actually married and in love. She had been reduced to a trophy wife. She was there to make him look good. Xin's fists tightened and she resisted the urge to punch the wall. Instead she reached down and turned the shower off. She wrapped herself in a towel, and with complete disregard to anyone seeing her, stepped out of the bathroom and proceeded to her room.

She picked through her bags, trying to find something to sleep in. She pulled out a soft yellow sleeping kimono, noting the Hyuga insignia stitched on the left side. The young woman scowled harshly and threw the kimono down, shaking her head. Xin grumbled to herself and dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Her eyes scanned the room, frowning softly. Was this an extra room or did it belong to Gaara? It seemed so lifeless, like no one spent time in it. But they wouldn't keep an extra room furnished when it was just the three of them living there? Why did they have such a large home?

"It's too bland in here," Xin grumbled in annoyance. "Well, if I'm going live in here I'm sure they won't mind if I redecorate. I can probably convince Temari to go shopping tomorrow or something. It's not like I'll be given any missions anytime soon," Xin continued to talk herself. She yanked the covers back and slid in, cringing at the icy feeling of the sheets. "When's the last time anyone even sat on this bed?"

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><p>Xin padded down the stairs the next morning, nearly running into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. She found her way to the kitchen, nearly getting lost twice. Again, why the hell did these people live in such a big ass house if there was only three of them? "Good afternoon," Kankuro greeted her first when she stepped into the kitchen. Temari peeked over her shoulder from whatever she was doing to also greet the younger woman. Xin leaned against the door frame, rubbing her face.<p>

"Coffee?"

Temari blinked at her, slightly confused. "I...can make you some fresh coffee," She said slowly, setting off to her new task. "Do you always wake up this late in the day?" She asked as Xin pushed off of the frame and sat at the kitchen table.

She yawned and rubbed at her face for the second time. "No, back home I had to wake up at four in the morning for early morning training with my sisters and cousin," She spoke through her yawn. "Then I'd leave for whatever mission Lady Tsunade had for me."

"You have sisters?" Kankuro asked from across the table. They knew next to nothing about the drowsy girl sitting at their table. She hadn't offered to say anything about herself yesterday besides her name.

"Mm, two. I have a younger sister, she's twelve now. And my twin sister, older than me by an hour," Xin continued to talk through her sleep. She twitched as the smell of coffee began to waft around the kitchen.

"An older sister?" Temari mumbled to herself in question. Why hadn't they offered the older sister instead of Xin? It was obvious why the youngest wasn't offered, she was just twelve. Why hadn't they been informed that there was more than one sister in the first place?

"How do you like your coffee? Cream? Sugar?"

"Black."

They both gave her strange looks. Black coffee tasted horrible and Xin didn't even seem to be the type to like black coffee. She seemed bubbly when she wasn't snapping with a bad attitude. "Do you have anything planned for today, Temari? Any missions or anything like that?" Xin asked once she downed half of her cup of coffee. She looked at them, tilting her head to the side once she caught sight of the strange looks they were giving her. "What?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I don't have anything today. Is there something you need?"

She gulped down more of her coffee and sighed, seeming more alert. "I don't know if that room I'm occupying is just a spare room or if it was actually someone's room, but I can't stand it. It's boring and lifeless. I was thinking we could go shopping."

Temari and Kankuro shared surprised glances. Judging by her outburst yesterday, they were sure she was going to lock herself in her room and refuse to talk to anyone for the next couple of days. Not willingly invite one of them to spend some time with her. "Um, sure. That's fine."

Xin only let a smile stretch across her face, opting to ignore the strange looks.


	2. This animal I have become

_lol, Panda-Chan8, you are seriously one of the best reviewers I have. Gin, Xaara? Psycho lovers? I laughed for about ten minutes when I read that. They really do need a couple name. I'm liking Xaara so far, it just sounds so funny.  .Princess, you're also another loyal reviewer. I know it was sad to see If I Knew go, maybe I'll try to rewrite it, I thought it was hilarious but I'm glad you're liking this one too. And shadow wolf, thank you, I hope you're still reading and you think chapter 2 is good like chapter 1. Enjoy guys. _

_No ownership. Except the OC. _

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><p><em>Xin's P.O.V<em>

"Are you sure painting the room is necessary?"

I glanced away from the several paint cans I was standing in front of to look at Temari. She was standing next to me, frowning softly. My shoulders slumped and I sighed heavily. Did she not see the inside of that room? My grandmother wouldn't even like the damn color scheme. It was just so...plain.

"It's not like it's anyone's bedroom, right? It's an unused room so what harm would it do if I painted it a different color? I'm the only one whose going to sleep in there, right?" I quirked an eyebrow, trying to figure out if I wanted to paint the room plum purple or royal purple. Oh, but there was also lavender and amethyst. Those were always pretty...

"It's Gaara's room as well."

I whirled around to face her, blinking in question. "That's his room? It's so...lifeless," I trailed off, slightly pouting. Seeing as how it was his room to begin with, I couldn't lose my mind and just decorate it to my taste. It wasn't very masculine to have a purple room...even if your wife insisted on it.

Temari sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her neck. "He spends most of his time at the office doing work," She explained shortly, looking everywhere else except for my face. Okay, I could understand that he spent a lot of time there. But that still didn't mean his room should feel so lifeless. Those sheets felt as if no one had ever laid down on them. Did the kid sleep or what? I had fallen asleep alone and woken up alone. Not that I would've allowed him to share the bed with me, I would've lost my shit if I woke up next to him.

It wasn't like I was afraid of a guy sharing a bed with me or anything like that. I'm a kunoichi, I've slept next to a dead body before. Sleeping next to the opposite gender sure as hell wouldn't bother me. It's just the thought of waking up next to Gaara bugged the ever living shit out of me. It probably bothered me because he was a scheming jerk and I hated his fuckin' face.

"I can paint it a different color. Black. Or blue maybe," I mumbled to myself, wandering away from the purple shades. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't paint the room my favorite color but brushed the feeling off.

Temari only followed silently as I quietly fumed.

* * *

><p>"What's all of that noise?"<p>

Kankuro paused in the middle of working on one of his puppets. Gaara appeared in the middle of the doorway leading into the living room, frowning as more banging ensued from above their heads. Kankuro stood up, dusting his pants off of nothing. "Your fiancé," Kankuro answered simply. "She came back a couple of hours ago with Temari from out shopping. She's been up in the room redecorating," He explained, wondering if his sister had already started to cook dinner.

There was a slight twitch in Gaara's eyes before he turned around and began to trek upstairs, a hard scowl crossing his features. Kankuro sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, already having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Oi, Temari. I think Xin and Gaara are going to start arguing again..."

The bedroom that he had called his own _(but rarely spent time in)_ since he was a child was completely different. The plain eggshell white walls were no more, instead they were painted a dark blue. The bed that was barely big enough to fit two people was gone and in its place was a white framed queen sized bed with different pillows, blankets and sheets that matched the color of the walls.

In front of the large window that stretched from the ceiling to the floor was a matching couch that could seat three people along with a small armchair and a cushioned table. On either sides of the bed were two white night stands with blue matching lamps. On the opposite side of the room was a desk and a chair set and in the corner was a large bookshelf with only a few books placed in it. Nestled in the other corner of the room was a large wardrobe that still didn't have any clothes in it yet.

And there was his fiancé, hammering a nail into one of the walls to hang a floor-length mirror. She didn't take notice of him until he stepped into the room and into the reflection of the mirror. She blinked, clearly surprised to see him and turned around, hand on her hip. "Hi there," She greeted simply, dangling the hammer in a loose way. Xin watched quietly as his eyes scanned the bedroom that he probably hadn't stepped foot in since who knows when.

"Why is my room blue?"

"It's not. It's _federal blue_."

Gaara stared at her, cyan eyes slightly narrowed dangerously. In response, Xin only quirked an eyebrow. Clearly she didn't see the harm in what she was doing. "Oi, don't give me that look. I was going to paint it purple but I thought that might be a little too feminine. I thought about black or red but then I figured that those were too dark and cliché, so why not federal blue? Blue isn't too feminine or masculine. And it's dark," Xin rambled, not really paying much attention to the annoyed redhead.

"Put it back."

Xin paused in the middle of her rambling. She titled her head, eyebrow quirked even higher than before. "Excuse me?" She scoffed, her grip on the hammer becoming a little tighter. "This looks so much better than it did," She pointed out, motioning around to the new bedroom set.

"I don't care what it looks like. It's my bedroom and I said put it back the way you found it," Gaara ordered firmly. He noticed that with each passing second her grip became tighter around the hammer. He wondered vaguely if she would try to use it as a weapon if provoked enough.

"Well, the funny thing about getting married to another person is that nothing is solely yours anymore. Ever heard of 'what's yours is mine'? You know what that means, my personal pain the ass?" She asked, speaking slowly as if he couldn't fully comprehend her words. "That means this bedroom isn't just yours. It's mine as well. And since I'll be spending more time in here, I think it should stay like this," Xin coolly rebuffed his order.

"I don't care what you think. I told you to put it back."

"And I'm telling you to fuck off. This room is staying like this."

Before Gaara could threaten the small woman, his siblings interrupted. "You guys haven't been left alone for more than fifteen minutes and you're already bickering with one another," Kankuro spoke up first as he and Temari trekked towards the bedroom.

"What's the problem now?" Temari sighed, stepping into the room only to look around in slight wonder. "Wow, it looks so...different now," She stated, eyes scanning every inch of the bedroom that Xin proudly smiled about.

"My wonderful fiancé is throwing a hissy fit because I tweaked the room a little bit."

"A little bit? You call this a little bit? What's the matter with you?"

Xin rolled her eyes at his dramatic outburst. Just as she was about to accuse Gaara of being a spoiled and childish brat, Temari spoke up. "Let's forget about this for now. Dinner is ready," She motioned towards the door, herding the younger occupants out before Xin or Gaara could start another argument. Down in the large kitchen _(Xin still couldn't understand why they needed such a big house)_ the four sat around the dinner table awkwardly. It was the first time the four of them were spending the evening together. It would have been enjoyable as Xin and Gaara weren't constantly throwing dirty looks at each other.

Xin shook her head and shoved some of the meat into her mouth, stiffening quickly. She resisted the urge to spit the food out in her hand and demand to know what the hell she just put in her mouth. She glanced around the table to look at Gaara and Kankuro. They didn't seem to be bothered by the horrible tasting meat. They quietly ate, chewing it fully and swallowing it as if it was edible. She looked down at her plate in wonder. How the hell were they stomaching this food? Maybe their taste buds were dead. They were probably immune to the taste.

Not wanting to offend Temari _(she actually kind of liked Temari, sorta)_, Xin shoveled the food into her mouth. She really hoped the discomfort from eating the horrible food wasn't clear in her face. Someone had to tell Temari that she couldn't cook. It was just cruel to let the blonde think she could when her food tasted like who did it and why.

Somehow Xin managed to eat all the food without vomiting. She was pretty sure she was seconds away from it though. She rolled her lips together and offered a false smile, helping Temari gather the plates. "Don't worry, I've got it," Temari said before Xin could even try to offer help in cleaning the dishes. She smiled softly and quickly ducked out of the kitchen, joining Kankuro in the living room. He was leaning over what looked like a large humanoid puppet.

Xin frowned softly as its lifeless eyes rolled around, landing on her. She shivered and sat down, trying to look everywhere but at the puppet. The thing was really creeping her out. Why the hell did he have to work on that in the middle of the living room?

"You did pretty good," Kankuro suddenly stated, messing with the arm of the puppet. Xin quirked her eyebrow and sat up in question. Kankuro didn't say anything until he reached into his bulky toolbox to grab a screwdriver. "Temari isn't the best cook in the world but after years of eating her food, me and Gaara are used to it," Kankuro began to explain with slight humor in his eyes. "I was expecting you to spit it out as soon as you tasted it. But you didn't. You only cringed maybe once or twice."

Xin glared at the back of his head. "That was cruel. You could have least gave me a warning," She huffed, folding her arms in annoyance. She couldn't believe Kankuro didn't at least give her a heads up about his sister's horrific cooking.

"I thought Gaara would've given you a warning when you guys were upstairs."

"That little prick. He probably didn't tell me because he's so butt-hurt about me changing the room around," She growled, glaring at nothing. And here she was, trying to be nice and painted a room that wasn't too feminine for him. He turns around and doesn't give her a damn heads up.

Kankuro suddenly burst out in laughter, scaring Xin. She blinked down as the older male continued to laugh and snicker. When he finally controlled his laughter, he shook his head. "Most of the girls in the village worship Gaara. They think he's the most attractive guy in our village and only have nice things to say about him," He began to say with a snicker coming out here and there. "And then here you come, calling him a prick and telling him to fuck off. It's kind of entertaining. Especially because it's pissing Gaara off so much. It's been awhile since we saw him use his emotions like that."

Xin frowned, tilting her head to the side. "If he has his own little psychotic fan club of adoring girls, why didn't the council just permit him to marry one of them? They would probably take this marriage a lot better than me."

"Well, like Temari said, they want the marriage to seem authentic. It has to seem legit to the public. We couldn't just marry him to one of his fan girls because he's never really paid attention to any of them except for Matsuri. Marrying him to another girl from a different village gives us room to come up with a story that's more believable."

Xin frowned, letting the word sink in. "So a bunch of adoring girls accepted Gaara even though he had a couple of screws up in his head loose when he was younger but the rest of the village didn't?" Xin blinked, quirking an eyebrow.

"The girls are mostly his age so they most likely stayed away from his during that period of time. They probably didn't really see what he was like and only went off of rumors. The rest of the village, especially the older generation, have seen what he's capable of."

"So you bring in another girl from a different village so he seems less dangerous and more humane."

"Exactly."

"Are you aware of what the girl you picked is capable of?"

The room became silent as Xin stared at the back of Kankuro's head. He turned slowly, his dark brown eyes clashing against her lighter-toned eyes. Her face was completely neutral, not a hint of emotion to give anything away.

"What is she capable of?"

Finally, a smile cracked her neutral face. But the smile didn't comfort him and it didn't even make him want to smile in return. The smile across Xin's face seemed mischievous, devious even. The smile unnerved him. And then it was gone. The kunoichi stood up with a hum, stretching her arms above her head and cracking several of her bones. "It's kind of too late to ask questions like that, don't you think?" She hummed coolly.

And just like that, she waltzed out of the room.

* * *

><p>Not long after Xin had waltzed out of the room, Temari stepped into the room from the kitchen. She noticed the disturbed look on Kankuro's face almost immediately. "What's the matter with you? I know my cooking isn't the best in the world but it isn't that bad," She snorted, poking fun at herself.<p>

"What do we know about Xin?" He asked, completely ignoring her question. The blonde frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in question. Kankuro always took a shot of her lack of cooking sills after dinner.

"What do you mean what do we know about her?"

"What do we know about her besides her name, her age and that she has two sisters? What do we know about what type of person she is or what type of kunoichi she is?" He pressed, turning around to finally face his older sister. Temari blinked, trying to figure out where he was going with this. Kankuro sighed, clearly aggravated that she just wasn't get the hints. Instead, he recounted the conversation that he shared with Xin to his sister.

"And she had this weird smile, like she was plotting on something. I think we should have asked more information about her before agreeing to this arrangement. Do you really think we can trust her–to marry our brother?"

Temari was quiet, mulling over his words. They really knew next to nothing about Xin. The council members of Konoha seemed eager to get rid of her but they also praised her. If she was the talented ninja they claimed she was, why would they readily give her up to another village?

There couldn't be anything wrong with her strength and skills, she carried herself with confidence like she could handle things. So what was it about her that set Kankuro off? She had coyly alluded that she wasn't the one to make an enemy out of. Why? What was she hiding? Her lips thinned out in thought. She remembered when she first met Xin yesterday and the smell of blood had mixed into Xin's natural scent.

And then there was her aura. It hung over Xin and washed over people, threatening to drown them. It really unsettled Temari. Xin just seemed so innocent with her goofy smiles and sarcastic humor. But she couldn't lie. There was something definitely off about her.

"We should keep an eye on her. We've already agreed with Konoha, we can't send her back now. They would probably take offense to that. As far as allowing her to marry Gaara, he can handle himself just fine. Out of all the times someone has tried to kill him, I'm sure he won't let his five foot two fiancé kill him."

Kankuro only nodded.

* * *

><p>"It's freezing out here," Xin grumbled two mornings later at around five thirty in the morning. She was standing out in the back of the house. She was dressed in dark pants and a matching shirt with her hair twisted up into a braided bun. After two days of wandering aimlessly about the house, Xin had decided that she had slept in enough and that it was time to get back on her strict regiment that had been drilled into her since she was small.<p>

Xin turned and moved back towards the back porch, she would never be able to concentrate if sand was constantly blowing into her face. She sat down with her legs folded under her and her eyes slid shut. She would have to meditate for a half hour first. After that, she would have to train the length of her Byakugan. At the moment she could see up to 10km. She would then practice her Gentle Fist technique and would end her training with medical ninjutsu.

By the time she wrapped up her training for the day, the sun was blazing high into the sky. Her face and neck were slick with sweat as she finished up her healing technique. She sure as hell shouldn't have complained about the cold when she first stepped outside.

Xin stood, scowling harshly under the sun. Grumbling to herself, she quickly left the burning backyard for the safety of the cool house. She was aware that she had been the only one not to leave. Gaara had left for the office an hour after she had finished meditation. Temari and Kankuro stayed until early afternoon before leaving.

She padded through the empty house, unwinding the bun and letting the braid fall down her back. The young kunoichi stepped into her new bedroom, smiling in victory once she saw it was as she left it. She really didn't care what her pain in the ass fiancé said, the room was staying this way.

Xin looked through her clothes, frowning softly when she came across her usual ninja garb. She pinched the fabric of the black skirt and sighed heavily before moving on to find something else for the day. She wasn't going to bother dressing in her garb as if she was about to go on a mission. It would only annoy her.

Instead she settled on a purple tank top paired with black pants that bunched up in the middle of her shins. She twirled the end of her braid and left it alone. Grabbing her sandals, she slipped them on and glanced in the mirror. She looked like such a..._civilian_. She just looked so regular. She glared in disgust. How could she allow this to happen? This wasn't her. She was not some regular civilian woman. She was a kunoichi. She was trained to be a cold-blooded killer.

And she was.

* * *

><p>"Fuck this village, I swear to God," Xin grumbled as she explored Suna. It wasn't the village itself that was pissing her off. It was the location. "What was the founder of this village thinking when he settled here? Who the fuck thinks living in the middle of the desert would be a good idea?" She continued to grumble to herself as she weaved through the sanded roads.<p>

She was somewhere downtown, if the bustling atmosphere was anything to go by. She supposed it reminded her of Konoha. Civilians mixed with shinobis milled about, visiting shops or restaurants for the day. It caused her to miss her home. Shaking her head, she continued to explore Suna. She explored all that Suna had to offer from the downtown area to the quiet homes and even to the slums. She came across the Suna Hospital, the Academy, training grounds, and finally the Kage's tower.

Xin stood outside the tower, arms folded with her hip cocked to the side. She stood there for several minutes, glaring in annoyance at the building. Should she really go in there? All it would was start another argument between them. God, she hated that guy.

Xin had to guess that she looked suspicious standing outside of the Kage's tower glaring at the building because two girls suddenly approached her. They seemed to be in the same age group of Xin and they really didn't seem like a threat to her, so she calmly regarded them. They were both around the same height with brown hair. Although one's hair was a darker shade of brown than her friend's hair. They were both kunoichi, seeing as how they both sported the Suna hitai-ate.

_'Wow, that flak-jacket is hideous,' _Xin thought blandly, her calm façade never fading. "Is there something I can help you with?" She asked after a moment's pause. Not that she didn't love being stared at, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. Like annoying the fuck out of Gaara for kicks.

"You're not from Suna, are you?" the one dressed in the ugly flak-jacket asked. Xin had to wonder if it was just her jacket specifically or the jackets in general that were ugly. It made her look really frumpy. Plus, there was that sandy color again. Beige. What the hell was with these people and the sand colors?

The only thing Konoha associated green with _(because you know, Konoha was the village hidden in the leaves) _were the flak-jackets. Other than that, Konoha was an explosion of colors. For God's sake, Naruto wore orange on a daily basis. The only ones who wore green were Maito Gai and Rock Lee. And they were just strange guys. But these people took their colors and loyalty to their village to an entirely different level.

"What gave it away?" Xin asked with a quirked eyebrow. Did she really stand out so much that it was obvious that she wasn't from Suna? _'Oh, it's probably the lack of sandy colors,'_ she thought sarcastically.

"We've never seen you around before," the other one stated. They looked at Xin from head to toe. They could see slight muscle tone in her arms and calves and the scars that were scattered about her body. The only other thing that stood out was the black spiral symbol tattooed on her arm. If it hadn't been for that, they would have guessed that she was a normal civilian. There was no hitai-ate on her and she wasn't dressed like a kunoichi would be dressed. She stood out with her dark hair and pale skin against the sand.

"I'm from Konoha," Xin stated simply, waiting for the response. As she stated before, Konoha and Suna didn't really have problems. But there was the Invasion of Konoha about five or so years ago that Suna partook in during the annual Chunin exams, so she guessed their friendship was a little shaky. But she was sure everyone was over that. It was five years ago, after all. Who holds a grudge for that long? She paused, frowning. Clearly these people did since the older generation was still weary of Gaara. Well, she couldn't blame them. She knew Konoha elders were weary of her too.

"Konoha?" The gaped in unison. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Was it really that shocking that she was from Konoha? She could understand if she was Iwa, Suna had a real problem with Iwa. "Are you here on a mission?" the one with the darker hair asked.

_'If only,'_ Xin thought with a slight attitude. Instead, she shook her head no. "I'm a...special friend of the Kazekage," She stated, trying to think of the right word. She was sure that the marriage wasn't ready to be announced to the media and public so she couldn't just go around telling random girls that she was going to marry their Kazekage.

The one with the frumpy flak-jacket eyed Xin carefully, frowning softly. "I didn't know he had a special friend from Konoha," She stated softly, dark eyes clashing with Xin's light eyes. Xin returned her stare, eyebrow quirked.

"Perhaps there's a lot of things you don't know about your Kazekage."

Xin watched in slight amusement as a look of offending shock crossed her features. She smiled innocently and twirled the end of her braid around her finger. Clearly this girl, and her friend, were apart of Gaara's fan club that Kankuro had mentioned during their conversation in the living room. It probably wasn't wise to go around taunting girls and making enemies. "I'm only kidding," She added, although the two could tell she wasn't really kidding. "I have a dark sense of humor," She continued with her innocent smile. "I'm Hyuga Xin," She introduced politely.

It was quiet as the frumpy looking kunoichi continued to stare at Xin. Her friend quickly cleared her throat, smiling tightly. "I'm Sari," She introduced simply. "And this is Matsuri," She nudged at her frumpy looking friend. "I apologize if we overwhelmed you. We don't get a lot of visitors from Konoha."

"I'm aware," Xin simply stated, noticing them shooting looks at the symbol tattooed on her arm. She only smiled and shifted so that the tattoo would out of view. She didn't have the time to tell them of her rank back home. "I'll be leaving now. Important business to discuss," She nodded towards the Kage's building before setting off before they could ask her anymore questions.

She climbed the stairs, wondering why there was so many, before finally reaching the top floor. She knocked three times and opened the door when she heard Gaara give her the permission. He glanced up from whatever document he was looking over and slumped his shoulders.

"Nice to see you too, honey," Xin sarcastically stated, seating herself on the couch. He shot her a dirty look. "Oh, don't be like that. I'm only trying to keep up appearances," She teased in a sickeningly sweet and sugary voice.

"There's no one here to keep it up for," He pointed out with a dry tone laced into his voice. Just what the hell was she doing here? Why wasn't she back at the house? The last he heard of her, she was in the back training. He had been a little surprised, she had been up before anyone else. Well, at least before he left for the office.

"Doesn't mean no one is listening," She stated in a sing-song voice, going out of her way to try aggravate him. If that slight twitch was anything to go by, she was beginning to succeed. "Anyway, I met two of your fan girls. Nice girls, I think. Although that flak-jacket really makes her look frumpy. It's not protocol to wear them, is it?"

Gaara blankly stared at Xin. Not only did she insult one of his villagers by calling her frumpy, she also called the uniformed jacket frumpy. Was she aware that she was being impolite? He would've sworn that girls who were raised in highly respected clans were more polite versus girls who weren't.

"No, it's not protocol. You don't see Temari and Kankuro wearing them, do you?"

"I just thought they had special perks seeing as how they're related to the Kazekage."

"Was it protocol to wear flak-jackets in Konoha?"

"Our flak-jackets didn't make us look frumpy. Plus, they weren't beige."

"What's wrong with beige? And they don't make anyone look frumpy."

"My great Grandmother wouldn't wear beige. And have you seen them? They're frumpy."

Gaara sighed heavily. Just what the hell was the point of this conversation? Why did she have such a problem with the sandy colors that were prominent in Suna? Who the hell even cared about the colors?

"Anyway, your fan girls? They seem more tame than the fan girls back in Konoha. Those girls lost their fuckin' marbles when the 'heart throbs' of Konoha hit puberty. I swear, one girl tried to sneak into the Hyuga compound just to see my cousin."

"Who are these fan girls you keep speaking of?"

"Hm? Oh. Um. What were their names?" Xin paused, trying to remember the brunettes' names. "Oh," She snapped her fingers as she finally recalled their names. "Sari and Matsuri. You know, I think Kankuro mentioned a Matsuri to me. I wonder if they're the same? Probably. He said she's the only one you've ever paid attention to? Did you date her?"

Gaara looked at her. Did he seem to be the type to date? Obviously if he dated, the elders wouldn't have arranged a marriage for him. "No, I didn't date her. She is a former student of mine and now she's a friend. We've never dated."

"Really? I bet she wants to date you. She was so defensive about you."

"What did you say to her?"

Xin rolled her eyes as he shot her an accusing glare. He was acting like she broke her arm of something. "I only teased her a bit. I told her I was a special friend of yours and she told me she wasn't aware that you had a special friend from Konoha. So I said there might be a lot of things you don't know."

His glare became harsher. "You had no right to say something like that," He stated in a snappish tone. Xin sat up, a slightly annoyed expression gracing her face. Why was he getting so worked about it? Again, it wasn't like she broke the girl's arm or anything.

"I was only kidding. Besides, what should have I said? That I was your fiancée? She'd probably buss a fuckin' vessel in her brain if I said that. Would that have been better?" She stood up to her meager height, hands positioned on her hips. Before he could say anything in reply, a shinobi suddenly appeared in a swirl of sand. Xin's eye twitched. Really? More sand? Of course. What was she expecting them to appear in? A swirl of glitter?

"I don't have time for this. You are dismissed," Gaara waved his hand in her direction, pulling out a scroll that was clearly meant for the shinobi. Xin blinked at him, her eyebrows raised in an offended shock. The shinobi glanced her way, clearly wondering who she was.

"Did you just–"

"Goodbye, Xin."

She stomped away, remembering to flip him off right before she left.

* * *

><p><em>Xin's P.O.V<em>

The only good thing about Suna was the clear view of the sky. Back in Konoha, the trees were always in the way. But here, in this God-forsaken desert village, I had the perfect view of the sky. It was littered of a thousand twinkling stars. The moon hung in the middle of the cluster of stars, shining proudly against the dark sky.

I sighed heavily, swinging my legs as I sat on the edge of one of the taller buildings. After Gaara had rudely dismissed me_ (who the fuck did he think he was, dismissing me like that?) _I wandered around Suna until that glowing ball of a sun settled and allowed the moon full reign of the sky. Noticing just how beautiful the sky was, I opted to star gaze instead of returning to the Sand sibling's home. My home.

But it wasn't my home. Well, it was. But it wasn't. I didn't want to go back there in fear of being alone. That house was way too big for the Sand siblings to own. They should have had a smaller house to live in. It seemed like they barely spent time at the place. It just felt so empty. I couldn't be there. I hated being alone. I mean, I was alone now but I had the hustle and bustle of Suna's nightlife to distract me. Even during the night, downtown was still as lively as ever. It was a good distraction.

I never could deal with loneliness and the quiet too well. That's when my blood lust seemed to kick in. It was strange to have the urge to kill triggered by something so simple as loneliness and the quiet. I could understand when I actually seen blood or when my life was on the line. I could see how then my blood lust would kick in and cause me to go berserk.

But being left to the quiet? What the hell was wrong with me? I bet that's why the council thought I was perfect to give to Gaara. Why not pair a recovering homicidal manic with another homicidal maniac? Match made in heaven, right?

My thoughts wandered to the conversation I shared with Kankuro the other day. It probably wasn't nice that I had creeped him out like that. But I wasn't sorry. They needed to know that I was not a normal girl. They needed to be weary of me. They needed to be cautious of me. It's not like they could really do anything about my psychotic nature. It was too late, I guessed. I'm sure the papers to change my village in the Bingo book and such was already put through. I was no longer a kunoichi and citizen of Konoha. I was a kunoichi and citizen of Suna. It was too late to go back to Konoha.

Besides, I'm pretty sure there are no givsie backsies in arranged marriages of this caliber.

I sighed heavily and idly played with my braid. What would this marriage lead to? Despite our homicidal statuses, Gaara and I had next to nothing in common with each other. Well, that and our obvious hatred for one another. Would this be one of those arranged marriages where we rarely spoke to each other unless it was necessary? Would we eventually take separate lovers on the side to feel some sort of pleasure that we just couldn't find in each other? Would we have a child only because it was expected, not because we wanted to?

Is that the life I was destined for? Was I really destined to have a bitter marriage where I eventually grow to despise even looking at my husband? Just what in the hell had I done to deserve a fate like that? I had never really thought of marriage _(for fuck's sake, I'm only eighteen, why would I?!) _but not once did I ever think I would be forced into a marriage that wouldn't be full of love. I knew that I probably would eventually be married off, probably to someone from a clan. Maybe someone from the Uchiha clan or something. But not the freakin' Kazekage of Suna.

How could the very people I fought to protect and the village I fought to uphold throw me to this village so easily? How could my parents do that? How could Tsunade allow this? They didn't even try to put up a fight for me. No, instead they praised what a talented kunoichi I was. How I would be a great addition to their village. How I was just so proficient in getting my missions done. This was all planned! It had to have been. They were ready to get rid of me! It was planned from the start, it had to be.

Tears brimmed my eyes, threatening to spill over any second. How could they do this to me? My forehead began to ache and I pressed my hand to it, feeling past my bangs to it. I couldn't see it but I knew what was imprinted on my forehead. I knew it was there. And I knew Konoha was waiting. The minute Suna turned on Konoha _(it wasn't like they were one hundred percent sure Suna would, but Konoha was still being cautious. They did betray Konoha once before)_ and thought they could use my Byakugan against Konoha, my Father would be ready.

I frowned in disgust. He would be ready to murder his own daughter with one seal.

My forehead continued to ache.

* * *

><p>The days continued on in a blur for Xin. She awoke every day before the sun awoke for her training, finished sometime in the afternoon and explored Suna. She avoided speaking with anyone, including the Sand siblings.<p>

She didn't bother with eating breakfast or dinner with them. She steady trained through breakfast and didn't return to the house until almost midnight. If and when she did eat, the three siblings were unaware. When they asked her about it, she would mutely shrug and then quickly leave, avoiding any further conversation with them.

"What did you do to her?" Temari asked with a slight hiss as Xin left the kitchen. In a rare moment, Xin had actually attended dinner with the three of them. She remained silent however, quietly thanking Temari before stalking off to hide out in her room.

Gaara glanced up at his older sister, frowning. "I haven't done anything to her," He stated in slight defense. What, his fiancée finally shuts up and his sister thinks he had something to do with it? He hadn't even spoken to her since she came in talking about frumpy flak-jackets and Matsuri.

"Something happened to her. She was so talkative and now she's..." Temari frowned off, not sure what to call it. Depressed? Anti-social? She didn't know what exactly to call her, but Xin was not being her usual self. Not that Temari knew what Xin's usual self was like. But she was sure the young teenager wasn't like this normally.

"Have you talked to her at all?" Kankuro asked, shoving rice into his mouth. Rice was pretty much the only think Temari didn't turn into a failed experiment. Possibly because they had a rice cooker so it wasn't her technically cooking...

"No."

The two elder siblings sighed heavily. "If you're going to be married, communication is key," Temari stated, shaking her head. "Even if she doesn't tell you what's bothering her at first, it will still mean something that you actually went out of your way to ask her," Temari continued on advising him. Gaara only hummed but Temari knew he was just going to disregard the piece of advice. "When was the last time you actually had a conversation with her?" Temari asked. Maybe it was something that Gaara said that had set Xin off.

"The day she first started training. She came in talking about how the flak-jacket made Matsuri look frumpy and that she had teased Matsuri."

"Okay, what did you say to that?"

"I told her she had no right to do that."

Temari and Kankuro shared a look. "You think she's pissed he defended another female?" Kankuro prompted, supporting his face by resting his cheek against his knuckles. Temari twisted her lips in thought, thinking it over.

"No, she doesn't really seem like she would be jealous of Gaara defending another female at this stage in their relationship. Did you say anything else to her, Gaara?"

Gaara sighed heavily. Clearly he didn't care too much for this conversation. "A shinobi came in for a mission so I dismissed her," He stated simply, not seeing the point in any of this. If Xin wanted to walk around in self-pity and cut herself off from them, who the hell cared? Things were much quieter now.

"You dismissed her? Did she leave quietly?"

"She stomped off and flipped me off before leaving."

"It might have pissed her off for the day but I doubt Gaara dismissing her would cause her act the way she's acting," Kankuro pointed out. They paused when they heard some shuffling upstairs and waited until they heard the bathroom door close and the shower start up.

"Well," Temari stood up first and began to gather the dishes off of the tables. Kankuro and Gaara stood as well, following her lead and helping her gather the dishes. "I'll try to speak to her about it. She may open up a little more since we're girls. Whose turn is it to dishes?"

"It's Gaara's turn today," Kankuro grinned widely. One thing he hated to do was dishes. Gaara shot him a look but obeyed the rule, turning the water on the fill up the dishes. Temari gave him a look that told him not to break any dishes before she and Kankuro moved to the living room.

"Has Konoha sent you any word about Xin?" Kankuro quietly asked as they settled down in the living room. The eerie conversation he shared with Xin had bothered him this whole time. He pestered Temari into sending a letter to Tsunade in hopes of finding anything out about the mysterious girl.

"Not yet," Temari shook her head. She suddenly stood up. "That reminds me, I have a mission report to get together for Gaara in the morning. Good night," She quickly stated before hurrying off for her room. She didn't wait long enough for Kankuro to reply, she had things to do. Unlike Gaara's plain room, Temari's room looked and felt like it was actually lived in. It was decorated in her favorite color, lavender, and had pictures of her family and friends. Admittedly it wasn't as nice as Gaara's room now that Xin had done what she wanted with it. Maybe she would ask the girl to help redecorate her room.

She settled on her bed, pulling out a single scroll from her pouch. She had lied to Kankuro when he had asked if Tsunade had sent any word on Xin. Temari had received the scroll from a messenger that day, sometime during the afternoon. She was afraid of the contents and afraid that Kankuro would be right about being cautious of the type of person Xin was.

Despite knowing her for barely a week, Temari liked the girl. Not because she had agreed to marry Gaara or because she was trying to get along with her and Kankuro. She liked the girl because she spoke to the three of them as if they were regular people. She didn't speak with fear to Gaara, despite knowing he had been a murderous pre-teen. And she didn't speak nervously to either her or Kankuro despite the fact that they were related to the Kazekage. Most of their villagers fell over themselves speaking to them, bowing and smiling.

Maybe it was because she was an important person back in Konoha or maybe it just because she saw them the same way she saw everyone else. As people. Or shinobi. Maybe that's why she didn't fear Gaara. Because she had murdered people as well. And she was just a person. With a sigh, Temari unraveled the scroll and spread it across her folded legs. The contents of the scroll weren't that long and she could tell it was actually Tsunade's handwriting, not someone hired by the council to ease Temari.

_'Let me just start by saying that Konoha nor Xin is plotting something against Suna,' _the letter began, rather bluntly. But Temari could only smile wryly. What else could she expect of Lady Tsunade? That woman never held back. '_Xin would never agree to marry Gaara if she knew she would eventually turn on him and kill him.' _

_'However, that does not mean you are imagining her strange behavior. The council members agreed on Xin solely for one reason. That reason being is that Xin has a large amount of blood-lust. To put it simply, or in her own words, she's a psychotic murderer with a craving for blood. Those are her words, not mine. _

_Xin is a dangerous girl. She may not seem like it because she's small, but she is dangerous. However, I doubt she'll attempt to kill you or your brothers. She only attacks if provoked. I'm sure she only put you and your brother on edge about herself as a warning not to take her lightly. My only word of advice is don't provoke her. Also, be cautious of her during any sparring matches. She tends to go a little overboard with them.' _

And that was it.

Temari read the letter over three times to make sure she wasn't imagining things. If what the contents of the letter was true, it made so much sense why the elders of Konoha were so eager to get rid of her. She was a danger to everything around her. They would have taken any chance to get rid of her. The blonde wondered what would have happened if the marriage hadn't been arranged. It was clear they wanted Xin gone. If she hadn't been sacrificed for the marriage, what would had they done? They probably would have assassinated her if they felt like she was too much of a danger to Konoha.

It all made sense to her. The eerie conversation with Kankuro, her heavy aura, the smell of blood mixing into her scent. The slight twitches every time she and Gaara began to bicker. That must have been why Gaara's infamously blood stained past didn't bother Xin too much. After all, who was she to judge him when she still lived her life drenched in blood? She craved blood, she enjoyed murdering people. She saw nothing wrong with it. How could she see anything wrong with it when she still lived her life they way he had once lived his?

Temari wasn't sure what to think. Tsunade did state that Xin only attacked if she's provoked enough and that she took sparring a little too far.

She could only sigh. What the hell had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

><p><em>Xin's P.O.V<em>

I frowned as someone knocked on the door ten minutes after I had gotten out of the shower. Calling for them to come in, the door opened and Temari stepped inside the room. The blonde offered a smile but it looked more like a cringe to me. "Something wrong?" I asked simply, brushing my semi-wet hair. She looked around the room, studying the new furniture, color and overall look of the place. I didn't understand why Gaara was so pissed about it. The room looked nice and he hadn't even stepped foot in here since I changed it.

"Are you alright?" Temari asked simply, breaking me from my thoughts. I paused in mid-brush, allowing the brush to almost be tangled in my thick hair. I yanked on it until my it came away easily. Twisting my hair up into a big bun on the center on my head, I titled my head to the side. "You just seem so anti-social for the past couple of days. If we did something to upset you, I'm sure it would help if you would tell us. That way we won't make this mistake again," Temari advised peacefully. I could already tell that Temari was the primary peacemaker. Just like Hinata.

Despite her good intentions, she had this look in her eye. I don't know how to explain it but it bothered me. She looked at me like I was about to go off on a blood rampage. Why would she be looking at me like that? She didn't know about the type of person I was. She didn't know I loved the smell of blood. She didn't know the sound of blood spilling across the floor excited me, putting me on a high. She didn't know that. She couldn't know that. I hadn't told her and no one else in Suna could have told her.

As far as I knew, no one from Konoha had told her anything either before I had left to come here to marry Gaara. Why would they tell them I was a maniac? What type of person would accept someone like me to marry into their family? Even if Gaara did have a dark past, it wouldn't be a good look if he married someone who currently insane.

So why was she looking at me like that?

"I'm fine. Just a little homesick, I guess," I lied easily, smiling to ease her. I wasn't homesick. I couldn't give two shits about Konoha. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing in Konoha for me. Maybe my sisters and my friends, but at this point I barely even cared about them. It's not like they had put up a fight for me.

She nodded thoughtfully. "I know we're asking a lot of you and Gaara isn't making it easy as it could be," She said slowly. I only stared at her as she struggled to find the right words. "But it means a lot to us that you agreed to this," She said, looking down at the floor. Just what the hell was she expecting me to say? 'That's what friends are for'? Were we even friends? I didn't know shit about this girl and she didn't know shit about me either. There was not much I could say besides 'your welcome', I guess.

"It's going to be hard to adjust to the new change but I'm positive that if we put in an effort, we can make a little family out of the four of us," Temari stated with a look of hope crossing her features when she looked up. The strange look in her eyes was gone and she seemed legitimately hopeful.

"Well," I sighed heavily, slumping my shoulders. "I like you and Kankuro enough to try to make a family out of us," I chuckled in amusement. "I'll try not to break Gaara's arm and beat him with it. But I swear to God, if he dismisses me like I'm some random person again, I'll break his fuckin' neck."

Temari laughed nervously. I think she knew I was serious.


	3. It's where my demons hide

Nearly three weeks had gone by without anyone mentioning the marriage. Xin didn't really care either way and she was sure Gaara didn't either. In the three weeks, she continued to train, explore Suna and get to know Temari and Kankuro better.

She didn't really bother with Gaara because she knew their conversations wold always end up with childish bickering. During the weeks, she was able to meet the councilmen of Suna _(she was not fond of any of them except for Baki)._ She also met the Honored Siblings of Suna, Chiyo and Ebizo. Apparently it was a big deal to meet them because they had cut the outside world off years ago.

During the three weeks, Xin had begun to grown antsy. The lack of missions was really beginning to get to her. Back in Konoha, she had always been out on a mission. And when she wasn't on a mission, she was raking up hours at the hospital. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to last.

"Are you alright? You've been staring at nothing for the past ten minutes," Temari suddenly stated, snapping her fingers in front of Xin's face. Xin blinked rapidly, snapping out of her thoughts to look up at the blonde with a confused frown.

"Ah? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About?"

Xin sighed heavily and leaned back, frowning. "Not that I don't love wandering around the village, because believe me, it's just oh so exciting," Xin sarcastically snorted. "But I'm bored. I mean, I rather talk about the damn wedding over than what I've been doing..."

"Well..." Temari trailed off, shifting towards the pale woman. The Hyuga quirked an eyebrow, looking at her. "The council believes it's about time we announce the marriage to the public," She hummed, waiting for Xin's reaction.

"Ah," Xin nodded quietly. "So, will I be able to have missions soon or...? Because I'm a kunoichi before I'm a wife, you all know that right?" Xin's gaze turned more serious. She really didn't care what the marriage agreements were as long as she still did what she loved.

"I didn't know not going on any missions were bothering you so much," Temari tilted her head to the side. Of course, that was a huge lie. She knew that it was taking a lot of self control for Xin not to go out and viciously murder someone.

Xin could only huff, folding her arms across her chest. "I was one of Konoha's top ANBU members. Of course it's bothering me. It's pissing me off, to be honest. I'm not...a _civilian._ I can't just constantly train for nothing and wander around the village. It's like I'm getting cabin fever."

"You were a top ANBU member?" Temari asked with her eyebrows shooting up her forehead. Ah, this could really be a problem. ANBU members usually received the most dangerous missions. They always receive A or S ranked missions, nothing lower than that. If those were the kinds of missions Xin was used to receiving on a regular basis, she would really lose her mind.

Suna was not exactly convinced she was trusted enough to be sent out on any missions. Not that they thought she would betray them. They were more concerned that they would send her out on a mission and she would go rogue.

"You probably won't be allowed any missions until after the wedding."

"If you're worried about me going rogue, you're wasting you time," Xin suddenly spoke, her eyes blank. "It's not like I'd run back to Konoha, I don't belong there anymore," She licked her lips and then frowned softly.

"That's up for Gaara and the council to decide."

Xin only sighed heavily and nodded, quietly accepting the answer without a fight. She was certain that Gaara would hold out on her when it came to giving her missions just to piss her off. The young kunoichi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Gaara should be home soon," Temari hummed thoughtfully. Xin quirked her eyebrow, it was barely two in the afternoon. Why was he coming back so soon? Temari noticed the confused look and only smiled. "Just come into the living room when he returns, alright? We have some things to discuss."

Xin had a bad feeling.

* * *

><p>"Gaara-Kun? May I speak with you?" Matsuri timidly stepped into the Kage's office, hoping that her former teacher had the time. He glanced up with a curious gleam in his eye. Nodding silently, he motioned for her to come forward. She shifted nervously, frowning and biting her bottom lip. Just how was she supposed to go about this? Matsuri shifted again for the second time before steeling her nerves, squaring her shoulders and looking her Kazekage dead in the face.<p>

"Who is that Hyuga woman?" She asked rather boldly. Gaara resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. Ever since Xin had told him that she met Matsuri, he had been expecting this conversation from the brunette. Despite what everyone thought, he was fully aware of Matsuri's affection and admiration for him. You'd have to be pretty blind not to see how she felt for him. If Xin, a total stranger, could easily see the affection Matsuri held for him, what made anyone think he couldn't see it as well?

"A special friend," He replied evenly. Xin really did have a good point when she pointed out that she couldn't just tell Matsuri that she was his fiancee. It probably would shock Matsuri. And quite possibly break her heart.

Matsuri rolled her lips together, not really buying that line. "Will she be leaving soon? She's not here on a mission, Sari and I asked her. She's been here almost a month," She stated with a deep frown. A slight blush painted her cheeks.

"No, she's not here on a mission and no she won't be leaving soon."

Matsuri's frown deepened even more as she glanced at the floor, losing her confidence for a second. "I..." She trailed off, trying to find the right words to formulate. "I don't trust that woman," She suddenly found the courage to say what's been weighing down on her ever since she met that strange woman. "There's something off about her."

Gaara stared at Matsuri but said nothing. There was no point in denying that there was something off about the Konoha native. She just had this look in her eyes that unsettled everyone around her. She put people on edge. "You'll just have to get to know her better."

Before Gaara could finish, there was a knock at the door. Sighing heavily, he gave whoever on the other side of the door permission to enter the office. And speak of the devil, the door eased opened and the woman of the hour stepped into the room. Her hair was messily pinned to her head and she wore a mesh-armored tank top paired with black pants. Dressed lazily, she didn't seem dangerous and she barely even looked the part of a kunoichi. She just seemed like a laid back teenager with no problems to worry about.

But then there was that look in her eye. The complete opposite of her outer appearance. It screamed danger and caused others to stay cautious around her. He could understand why Matsuri didn't trust Xin. Hell, he didn't even trust her.

"Oh," Her eyes landed on Matsuri and he noticed her eyes zero in on the flak-jacket Matsuri was sporting. He forced himself not to groan in annoyance, if she started going off about the flak-jacket again he was going to pin her to the ceiling like he did the first day they met."Hello, Matsuri," Xin greeted her with a smile. "Didn't know I was interrupting, my bad. I hope it wasn't a do or die situation," She shoved her hands into her pockets, tearing her eyes away from the flak-jacket to look at Gaara.

There was something off about her smile_ (go figure, there was something off about everything with this girl). _Almost like she knew the previous conversation was about her. But she only continued to smile innocently, glancing in between them and waiting for someone to speak. "Oh, no. No. Just...just some former concerns I had," Matsuri answered first, smiling awkwardly. "But Gaara put them to rest, it's fine now," She continued to hum, trying to come off as innocent as Xin's current smile.

"That's good then, very reliable, isn't he?"

For some reason, he felt like Xin didn't really mean that. And with that sarcastic glint in her eyes, he knew damn well she didn't mean that at all. The sarcastic glint paired with the slight quirk of her lips gave him all the answers she needed. "Well, since I'm not interrupting anything important, Temari sent me here to get you. She wants to talk with us..." Xin suddenly paused, glancing at Matsuri. "She wants to meet with us back at your house," She continued to say with a funny look.

Gaara sighed heavily and remembered that Temari had told him to come back home early that day because she had some things to discuss with the two of them. It probably had something to do with the upcoming announcement and the wedding plans that were sure to follow. He really wanted to roll his eyes and tell Xin to fuck off but that would probably start an argument he didn't have the time for.

"There's something I need to see my sister about, Matsuri. I'm leaving with Xin. If you need anything else, let me know," Gaara said, standing up. He crossed the room towards the two females. The brunette frowned softly but nodded while the bluenette simply continued to grin.

The walk back to the Sand Sibling's home was quiet, shockingly. He glanced at Xin several times, waiting for her to open her mouth and spew out some sarcastic nonsense. Instead she kept her mouth shut, eyes darting all over the scenery. She seemed to have some sort of fascination with any shinobi that passed their way. The shinobi of course would bow in respect to him and politely greet her. The people of Suna weren't exactly sure who the small female was, all they knew is that she seemed to have ties with the Sand siblings.

He would ask later while she seemed so obsessed with the Sand shinobi.

"Oi, Temari? I'm back! And I brought your brother," Xin called out when they finally made it to the large house. They heard Temari reply from the kitchen and made a beeline for it. As soon as they entered the kitchen, Temari sternly ordered them to sit at the table. The younger teenagers looked at Temari in confusion but quietly sat down. They both looked at Kankuro for some indication of what was going on but he simply grinned in a goofy way and shrugged his broad shoulders.

"The elders are ready to announce the wedding on Monday," Temari began to speak, eyes flickering between the both of them. "I don't know how many times I've said it, but I'll say it again. This marriage needs to seem real," She paused, rolling her lips together. "Meaning, it has to seem like you two actually want to get married. And you know what that means?" She blinked at them and then opened her mouth before they could even think of answering. "It means it'll have to seem like you two know each other."

"..."

Temari sighed, clearly they weren't understanding. "Alright. For example. Gaara, when is Xin's birthday?" She asked, arms folded across her chest. Her youngest brother stared blankly at her. She knew damn well he didn't know when the midget's birthday was. "Mhm. Xin? When's Gaara's birthday?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know that?"

Temari face palmed while Kankuro broke out in laughter. "This is exactly what I mean," Temari grumbled with a dark look. "You two don't know a damn thing about each other than your places of birth. A married couple knows everything about one another. Xin, when is your birthday?"

"December twenty-seventh."

"Gaara? Your birthday is?"

"January nineteenth."

"Holy shit, I'm older than you."

"So? I'm taller than you."

The fuck does that have to do with anything?"

Temari clapped her hands together before the bickering could escalate. "Focus!" She ordered, giving them both a no nonsense look. "I knew you two didn't know anything about each other. That's why for the remainder of the day, you two are going to sit here and get to know each other."

"This is ridiculous..."

"The fuck I will..."

"There's no room for discussion!" Temari slapped her hands together a second time, eliciting silence from the two. "You two are going to get to know each other. I don't care how long it takes but you will. So, I suggest you two start talking now. Kankuro and I will be in the living room," She gave them a glare before dragging the puppeteer into the living room.

The kitchen was shrouded in silence as the two glared at nothing in particular. Neither of them wanted to be there nor did they care to get to know each other. They didn't even like each other and that's all they needed to know. "My favorite color is purple. Dark purple."

Gaara glanced at the female, frowning in question. "I have a feeling pouting won't do us any good," She shrugged blandly. "And Temari will probably have a fit if she comes back in here and we don't know shit else besides our names. Why not get this over with?" She shrugged for a second time. Gaara was quiet as Xin regarded him blankly. Well, this was new. He would have assumed that Xin would make everything difficult like she had been doing so far. He supposed the pint-sized kunoichi could be mature if she wanted to.

"I don't really have a favorite color."

"It's not like...black or something?"

"No? Why would it be black?"

"I dunno, that's all you ever wear around the house."

"I've never seen your wear purple once."

"I wear purple all the time, you just don't pay any attention."

"Why the hell would I pay attention to the color of your clothes?" Gaara suddenly paused and blinked hard, sighing. "Forget it," He grumbled in slight irritation. It seemed like no matter what they did, they always ended up childishly bickering. "If I had to pick, maroon."

Xin nodded in thought. "My favorite foods are spicy foods. I like sweets too. I can actually be really gluttonous. It's a bad habit," She hummed, remembering all the times she was chased out of the kitchen when she was younger. It brought an almost sad smile to her lips. Gaara studied her face, taking notice of the glazed look to her eyes and the sad smile across her lips. It had been the first time he noticed a look like that on her face. She rarely smiled, only offering forced smiles when the time called for it. Any other time, she always wore a blank expression or an agitated look.

If he didn't know any better, he would have called her pretty. Her skin was pale, as if the she had never seen the light of day _(strange seeing as she was a native of the Land of Fire)._ Her dark hair paired with her light eyes contrasted against the pallor of her skin in a favorable way. She had a slim but small nose and plump dusty pink lips.

Good thing he knew better.

But as soon as the look crossed her face, it was gone. She was looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, prompting him to tell her his favorite foo. "I like salted tongue and gizzard," He replied blankly, watching as her face twisted up into confused disgust.

This was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

><p><em>Xin's P.O.V<em>

To be quite honest, I didn't pay any damn attention once the marriage was announced. That following morning I stood out on the roof of the Kage's tower along with Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and three council members. Down below, what seemed like the entire village of Suna was gathered. They looked up, some in fascination, some were cautious, and any female that was our age all looked smitten. It reminded me of the time Tsunade took the title of Hokage, standing over all of us as we cheered and applauded the woman.

I had a feeling some of the villagers would not react that way. Especially the love-smitten girls. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I scanned the crowd for what seemed like the hundredth time. No one was really paying much attention to me, why the hell would they? At the moment, I was a nobody. That, of course, would change as soon as someone opened their mouth and announced this stupid marriage.

A pair of dark eyes suddenly caught my gaze. I paused, holding Matsuri's gaze. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the brunette had it out for me. It was understandable, though. She was in love with Gaara after all and I had been spending a suspicious amount of time with him. Not that I wanted to. Temari and the council forced us to spend time together around the village. For the most part, we quietly bickered with one another until one of his villagers approached us to greet him. We would put on fake expressions, trying to come as if we genuinely enjoyed each others company.

The villagers suddenly broke out in frenzied whispers and I suddenly took notice of everyone staring at me. I was never the shy one, I left that role to my sister. However, it was something about an entire village staring you down that unsettled you. The words Temari had drilled into my head last night spewed out of my mouth automatically. They formed pretty sentences of love and admiration that I supposedly held for the tall red head next to me. I paused in my speech, glancing at him to smile sweetly.

If it weren't for the fact that all our reputations were on the line, I would vomited at the thought of being in love with tall, dark and stupid over here. With a small cringe, I stepped closer to Gaara and twirled my arm around his, smiling the whole time.

The village continued to whisper among themselves some more before finally erupting in cheers. My smile twitched. Well, the villages sure as hell seemed to like Gaara now. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw the satisfied smirks flitting across two of the council members' faces. Baki, however, remained sternly impassive. I knew there was a reason I liked that guy.

Every now and then, I spotted the disappointed or blatantly heartbroken expressions some of the teenage girls wore across their faces. It made feel bad and I pitied them. They had no idea how much of an ass this guy was. Honestly, if I could, I'd give him up to any one of them.

But I couldn't. We were stuck together.

Hurray.

* * *

><p>It was only some days later when Temari was dragging me off somewhere. She had told me to dress in my ninja garb and offered nothing more than that. So, I pulled the outfit I hadn't worn for nearly a month and easily slid into it. The skirt was black and long, reaching to my knees. However, it had two slits on the sides that reached all the way to my hips, falling away to reveal my legs every time I walked. Underneath the skirt I wore mesh-armored shorts. I wore a mesh-armored bra and over top of that I wore a dark purple cropped shirt that sported a triangular split in the middle, revealing the bra.<p>

"Temari, where are we going?" I groaned as we weaved through the sandy streets. Villagers waved at us, thinking it was cute that the fiancee of the Kazekage was spending bonding time with his sister. Clearly, they ignored the fact that she was dragging me around like a rag-doll.

She suddenly paused and I nearly ran into her. The blonde turned to face me, a slightly nervous look across her face. "Well," She sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging. "The council just wants to make sure the Konoha wasn't exaggerating when they told us how talented you were. They want to see your skills for themselves," She stated, eyes meeting mine. I eyed her, my eyebrow quirked in question. I swore, with each passing day, I was more confused and confused by these people. "They want you to put your money where your mouth is," She said after several seconds of me just staring at her.

"...But I never said anything."

"You know what I mean," She rolled her eyes before turning around and quickly walking away with me nipping at her heels. "They've arranged a friendly sparring match between you and one of Kankuro's students, I believe."

"Kankuro has students?"

"Mhm. Gaara had a student, why wouldn't Kankuro have students?"

"I don't know."

Temari snorted at my lack of thought and I only ignored her, following obediently as she bobbed and weaved. Before long, we came to a large platform. That's all it was, just a little bit outside of the village. It was just a platform that was circular and raised several feet off of the ground. Off to the side, I noticed Gaara, Kankuro, the entire council and one figure who I had yet to meet. I'm assuming it's whoever the hell I'm supposed to be sparring. My fingers twitched erratically as we neared the group.

When was the last time I actually laid my hands on another person physically? When was the last time I had landed a real punch on someone and not just my clone? The last time I felt bones splintering underneath my small fist? I flexed my fingers, trying to get my urges under control. Temari glanced at me and I quickly bit my lip, hard. The slight pain was a distraction, forcing me to concentrate on that and not allowing me to twitch.

Once we arrived at the gathering, I was able to figure out the one figure was a female. She looked like she could be around my age with cropped light brown, almost blonde hair, and murky blue eyes. She had one of those ugly ass flak-jackets on and was carrying a large...thing on her back. I looked at the object more closely and realized it was a large humanoid puppet. Oh for the love of...of course she would be a puppeteer. She was one of Kankuro's students, after all. What the hell did I expect?

I wanted to groan out loud. Puppeteers were not common in Konoha, I had no idea how to go about this. My fingers twitched again. But, I supposed that didn't mean shit right now. These people wanted a show and I was going to deliver. "Xin," Gaara greeted me first, surprisingly. I only nodded in acknowledgment. "I assume Temari told you the reason for dragging you out here?" He questioned, looking at his sister. In unison, both his sister and I hummed and nodded our heads.

He nodded in reply and then turned to my opponent. "This is Hatsune, your sparring opponent," He introduced simply. "This is my fiancée, Xin," He motioned towards me. I stepped forward, bowing my head and smiling in kindness. One of the many things my parents had drilled into my head other than the Hyuga Juken, was etiquette. I just remembered the lessons when I felt like it.

She smiled stiffly in reply, offering her own bow. I quirked my eyebrow, her stiff smile setting me off. Did this girl want to spar with me or not? She seemed like she was holding something back. Deciding to chalk it off, I made my way to the platform first. "Xin," Temari's voice suddenly stopped me. She stepped forward, a slight frown marring her lips. She glanced straight into my eyes, trying to find something that I wasn't sure was there. "Just..." She trailed off, trying to form something. "Take it easy."

I only stared at her, eyes blank. Something about the way she spoke and advised me bothered me. Like she knew what I was capable of if I didn't take it easy. Not wanting to alarm her, I smiled sweetly and continued on towards the platform.

Hatsune followed shortly after, standing a good distance across from me. I watched blankly at the giant puppet came to life, animated by the bright blue chakra-threads stemming from her fingers. I shivered as its lifeless eyes roll over to me. No matter how many times I saw it, I was never going to get over how creepy puppets were.

Someone shouted a 'begin' and Hatsune suddenly waved her arms about. The puppet sprang to life, coming at me at a breakneck speed. I rolled out of the way as a blade suddenly popped out of its' elbow joints, nearly stabbing me in the throat. Wasn't this supposed to be a friendly match?

The puppet twisted around to face me, mouth opening to shoot a kunai straight at my forehead. I deflected it with ease but with the sudden distraction, allowed the damn puppet to ram it's large ass body right into mine. I hit the floor with a grunt, rolling away several feet and almost rolling off the platform. Glancing over the edge, I figured I could probably break something if I landed wrong. I turned back towards the puppet and Hatsune, notcing the slightly enraged fire dancing in the eyes of my opponent.

"Is that all?" She called out towards me, frowning harshly. "Is this really all the fiancée of my Kazekage can offer? You're nothing but a weakling, not fit to marry him," She attacked me with words, her frown turning into a snarl. Ah. Okay. I see. Clearly she was one of his _(many)_ obsessed fan girls. No wonder she already had it out for me. Obviously this one was a little more mental than the others. The others who had seen me wandering around after the announcement only had the balls to glare and whisper behind their hands.

Hatsune, however, wanted to kick my ass.

Well, now it was time to hand her ass to her.

Pushing myself up, I silently glared at her. How in the world would I go about attacking a puppet user? Fighting the puppet off would be useless and would waste my chakra. I had to get to Hatsune. But how was I supposed to do that when she had a giant, scary ass puppet flinging its body towards me every other second?

She continued to attack me using her puppet while I tried to figure out how to spring into action. It nearly nicked me with one of its hidden blades, the wooden arm brushing against my exposed shoulder. I somersaulted away, putting a lot of space between us. That thing was made out of wood. A smile crossed my face. I waited, already having her pattern figured out. After trying to slice my damn face open, she would send that thing hurtling at me to body slam me into the ground. And just like I knew she would, she sent the puppet careening towards me.

Instead of dodging and rolling away like I had been, I simply side stepped the thing. Timing it correctly, I lifted my leg, pumped enough chakra into it, and slammed my foot down on the chest of the puppet. The force of my foot colliding with the chest had it splintering open, chips of wood raining down. A choked gasp from Hatsune had me turning to her. An even bigger smile crossed my face. Uttering one simple word, I felt veins pulse out the sides of my temples. My vision became enhanced, giving me a perfect view of her chakra pathway system.

I darted towards her, dodging when she swung a kunai at me. Something told me she wasn't too good at close-ranged combat. If that panicked look in her eyes was something to go by, I'd say I was right. I grabbed her arm and twisted, forcing her to her knees. She let out a noise that reminded me of a pig. Instead of simply punching her, I struck her in the center of her chest with my opened palm. Punching her and knocking her out wouldn't satisfy me. This girl had mocked me, calling me a weakling.

I could both physically see and feel her chakra beginning to shut down as soon as my palm made contact with her chest. Hatsune choked, blood bubbling past her lips as the strike affected her heart. She wasn't going to die but the recuperation process would take at least a month. Her chakra that I had sealed would eventually unseal but her heart and the surrounding area was critically damaged.

Letting go of her wrist, she sagged to the ground. I did nothing to catch her, opting to step back and stare blankly as she struggled to breath. It would have been so easy to just kill her now. All I had to do was stomp on the back of her neck. Or stomp her head in. It didn't matter to me. It would have been so easy and I wouldn't have cared at all. I would revel in the sound of her neck or skull crunching in. The sputtering noise she would make right before the life faded from her had me grinning easily. And then the rotting smell of death would pollute the air.

I licked my lips, seriously considering ending her pathetic life. My fingers twitched and I took a step forward, beginning to raise my foot over the back of her head. All it would take was one simple stomp and my foot would be covered in shards of bone, blood and brain matter. A shout forced me to place my foot down. Kankuro was suddenly there, fretting over his semi-unconscious student. He rolled Hatsune over and began to check her pulse and any other signs to make sure she was still alive.

Temari, Gaara and Baki joined us. "I can't feel her chakra," Kankuro said with a slight panic to his voice. "What did you do?" He turned accusing eyes, ready to kill to avenge his fallen student. I looked down at him, head titled to the side slightly.

"Sealed it."

"_Sealed_ it–_what_? How is that even possible? How can you seal something you can't see?"

"What's the matter with your eyes?"

Gaara was staring at me, focused intently at my eyes. I folded my arms across my chest and sighed, I really didn't feel like explaining why I suddenly had distinctive pupils and bulging veins around my eyes when I didn't have it before. With another sigh, I tried to think how I could explain it. "It's called the Byakugan. It's the dojutsu kekkei genkai of the Hyuga clan. It's basically considered as 'all-seeing'. We have a 360 field of vision and can see through solid objects, like barriers. My sister and I can see up to 10 kilometers. We can basically see everything.

Adding on to that, we can also see chakra, the flow and the circulation system. And because we can see that, we have a developed taijutsu that only can work if the user possesses the Byakugan. Juken. If done correctly, it strikes along the chakra pathway system. You should know that that's the network of vessels that carry chakra. It's intertwined with the body's organs.

When we strike, we can either seal or forcibly open the tenkatsu, which would give us complete control of the opponent's system. I'm basically taking my own chakra and slamming into my opponents, shutting it down. Because the system is so intertwined with our organs, the opponent also takes internal damage that could be fatal," I sighed again, cracking my neck. God, I hated explaining the Byakugan. It was just too much to speak about and even in the end, the listener still might not understand what the hell I was talking about. They were all just staring at me.

"So, you sealed her chakra?"

"And damaged her heart."

Kankuro's eyes widened in alarm. "Her heart? You damaged her heart? Why would you damage that? In case you didn't notice, that's a very important organ. Have you lost your mind?" He snapped at me, rage dancing in his eyes.

"In case _you_ didn't notice, she tried to stab me in the fuckin' face and throat several times with her freaky ass puppet. There was nothing friendly about this spar, she was trying to kill me. I was only trying to defend myself. It was either that or I snap her fuckin' neck," I hissed down at him, holding his gaze with no problem.

"Alright, everyone just calm down," Baki suddenly ordered us, heavy hand on my shoulder. "We wanted to see what she was capable of and now we know," He continued to speak gruffly, eyes glancing between the siblings and myself. I huffed with a slight smirk. They still had no idea what else I could do.

"We were told you knew how to heal. Can you do anything to help Hatsune?" He turned his face towards me, the curtain covering up half of his face and allowed me to only see one side of his face. I glanced down at the puppet user and rolled my eyes.

Dropping down in a crouch, I shooed Kankuro's hands away. He made a noise to reject my hands but I simply glared at him. "If you don't move, I'll seal _your_ chakra," I threatened darkly, watching as he shot me a dirty look. He did as he was told and I held my hands over Hatsune's chest. Green chakra surrounded my hands and I tried to stop the blood-clotting. I must have hit her harder than I assumed. A blood clot could have seriously killed her. Well, maybe she would leave me the hell alone next time our paths crossed.

I could feel everyone's nervous stares on my head.

I smirked.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

><p>"Something is wrong with her and there isn't a damn thing you can tell me to convince me otherwise," Kankuro snapped as soon as he and his two siblings stepped into the Kage's office. Temari settled down on the couch while Gaara settled behind his desk. Kankuro, however, remained standing. "Tell me Tsunade sent us something."<p>

"You're expecting something from Lady Tsunade?" Gaara asked with a frown. He looked in between his older sister and brother and wondered what the hell was going on. He hadn't been informed of any exchange between Konoha and Suna.

Temari's shoulders sagged and the two looked at her in question. "Yes, she sent us a letter back about what we asked," She stated after several seconds of them just looking at her in question. "Kankuro was concerned about her odd antics."

"More like psychotic antics."

"Be quiet, Kankuro."

Temari shot Kankuro a look that told him to calm down. "Kankuro was concerned because the second or third night Xin was here, she made it seem like she couldn't be fully trusted and that she wasn't all the way...sane. He didn't trust her. So, I sent Lady Tsunade a letter asking more about Xin. When they first offered her up, they only spoke about how talented she was but they never said much about her mental state or personality."

The blonde played with her fingers, wringing them together nervously. "Honestly, I was a little put off about her as well. Her aura was too heavy, it was suffocating. And her natural scent...there's the smell of blood mixed into it, like your sand. So I agreed that we should keep an eye on her and I sent a letter to Lady Tsunade asking about her."

The room was silent as Gaara stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "She sent me a letter stating that we would never have to worry about Konoha using her as a means to betray us. But, she also said that Xin was known for lusting over blood. Xin has literally called herself a psychotic murderer craving blood. She's dangerous but as long as we don't provoke her into attacking us, it should be fine."

"How long have you've known this?" Gaara asked with a calm look. He had his own thoughts about Xin's odd quirks. The look in her eyes always unsettled him. They reminded him of a darker time that he didn't like to think about.

Temari glanced at Gaara and then Kankuro. "I've known for maybe a week after she got here," She stated truthfully, waiting for the reaction. She already had an idea of how the two were going to react to her withholding important information.

"You've known for that long?" Kankuro demanded, turning around on his older sister. His eyes were narrowed into thin slits. "The leader of her village told you specifically that she's a _psychotic murderer_ and you let her spar with Hatsune?! Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

Temari sighed heavily, allowing her brother to rant and rave at her. She waited until she was sure he was done yelling at her to finally speak. "Yes, because I'm going to tell the council of Suna that out of all the girls they could pick, the picked a murderous five foot two midget," She rolled her eyes, arms folded across her chest.

"You're starting to sound like her," Gaara added quietly.

She shot him a look but ignored the jab. "Listen, this whole time she's refrained from killing anyone. She didn't kill Hatsune, she was only defending herself the same way she would defend herself if she was sparring in Konoha. We can't treat her any differently now. It wouldn't be right of us. We dragged her into this and we're not going to suddenly shun her because one of her hobbies is brutally disemboweling people."

Neither of her brothers said anything. Temari rolled her eyes and cocked her head to the side, glaring at both of them as they gave her stubborn looks. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

* * *

><p>Xin plopped down at the kitchen table later that same day. The siblings shot her the same look, wondering where the hell she had disappeared off to after the sparring match. She looked around at them, tilting her head to the side in question. "The hell have you been?" Kankuro asked first, dark eyes searching for something she wasn't sure of.<p>

Xin resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Kankuro. He had acted short with her ever since she had nearly killed his obsessive student. She was a little disappointed to say the least. She preferred Kankuro over his stupid brother but it seemed like he and his brother would be feeling the same way towards her. "The hell are you so concerned about?" She shot back at him, tapping her fingers against the table. Gaara glanced at the motion and wondered quietly if she was debating on whether or not she could kill Kankuro and run off before either he or Temari could react. Kankuro didn't say anything in reply, simply giving her a look that told her she knew exactly what he was concerned about.

"I went with Hatsune to the hospital to make sure they understood why her chakra was sealed," She began to explain. "And I stuck around the hospital so I asked if I could rake up some hours at the hospital," Xin continued to state, the tapping becoming less clear.

"...The hospital staff _actually_ offered you a job?"

"_Actually_? Um, yeah? Hello, I trained under Tsunade for a year. And besides, I'm marrying the freakin' Kazekage. Not only do I have the credentials to get the job on the spot, I have the connections," She stated as if it was an obvious fact. "I just figured raking up some hours at the hospital would be better than just wandering around Suna and training for missions that I won't get for a long time," Xin shot a dry look at Gaara as she got up to help Temari set the table. The blonde hummed her thanks as the dishes clacked against the table.

The redhead in question simply stared at her, quietly thinking. How could someone who enjoyed murdering people know medical ninjutsu? What was the point of that? What type of contradiction was that? What the hell was wrong with this girl?

"You know why you won't get any missions for a while," Gaara stated simply. He knew that Temari already had that specific conversation with her. He also knew that Xin was becoming a little antsy with the lack of missions. Xin huffed immaturely, going even further to stick her tongue out at him.

"As if I would go rogue," Xin snorted in annoyance with a pout. "I mean, _come on_, have you not seen my hair? I can't keep it in this condition if I'm constantly being hunted down," She snorted once more, caressing a thick lock of her dark hair. The dinner table was quiet as they stared at the young kunoichi. She paused, feeling their gazes on her and frowned. "What? Are you really going to tell me none of you have noticed just how nice my hair is?" Xin asked with a blank expression.

"They didn't tell us you were horribly conceited."

"Fuck off."

* * *

><p>The first thing Xin wanted to say when she was presented with the medical uniform was that it was the ugliest thing she had ever laid her eyes on <em>(uglier than that God awful flak-jacket).<em> While the flak-jacket would make her look frumpy, the medical uniform would make her look fat.

And Hyuga Xin did not look fat.

So, she innocently folded her hands behind her back and smiled a brightly cheery smile. "Ah, do you have anything else medical ninjas wear besides that?" She hummed sweetly to the older medical ninja. The older ninja frowned down at her in thought. There was no way he was going to actually tell her no.

"I suppose wearing the white coat would suffice as well."

Ah...of course it would suffice.

What felt like seconds later, Xin was swaying down one of the many hallways, the white lab coat draped over her small shoulders. She was wielding a clipboard, eyes glancing from it to the numbers painted next to the door. A wide smile spread across her face as she stopped in front of the door she had searched for. Her eyes flew back to the clipboard, seeking out the patient's name that was printed at the top in big bold letters.

**Mikawa Hatsune. **

With a quick knock, she threw the door open with a sweet greeting. "Good afternoon, Hatsune-Chan! I'll be your caretaker for today," She sung out, startling the brunette. She turned to the excitable woman, paling as soon as she realized who was standing at the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Hatsune sputtered, narrowing her eyes at the other female. There was no way she was letting that she-demon come near her! She was the entire reason she was confined to the damn hospital in the first place. And now they expect her to allow that same woman to take care of her?

Xin's shoulders slumped, pouting childishly. "I just told you," She hummed with an amused tint to her voice. "I'll be your caretaker. Is there something wrong with that, Hatsune-Chan?" She cooed, closing the door with that same smile streaking across her face.

Hatsune glanced at the door, suddenly feeling a shift in the room. "Why would they let the same woman who put me here take care of me?" She asked with a snarl to her voice. "I don't trust you at all. When I was fighting you, you were out for my blood."

Xin tilted her head to the side, an eyebrow quirked. She continued to smile widely. "Ah, I guess because since I'm the one who inflicted the damage on you, I'd know how to take care of you," Xin explained, her grip tightening on the clipboard. Hatsune's eyes darted to her hands, noticing the action.

"And as I recall, you were trying to spill my blood first," Xin spoke, her tone of voice dropping down to a darker tone. "You're in love with my fiancé, aren't you? Don't think I'm worthy of marrying him? And what makes you the judge of that? Are you worth it? Because from where I'm standing, you aren't shit. Especially since you can't even stand on your own," Xin continued to speak, her smile becoming more sinister.

She was now leaning over the brunette. "But don't worry," She hummed in that same dark tone. She licked her top lip, eyes flickering from Hatsune's eyes to her neck. "I'll make sure I take really good care of him. I love him, after all. Wouldn't want to see him hurt by anybody else or anything."

"Someone needs to make sure you don't hurt him."

"You know, Hatsune-Chan, I really think you should be more concerned about yourself when it comes to me hurting anyone, don't you think?"

Xin suddenly grabbed her hand and with one simple motion, snapped the girl's wrist. Hatsune's foggy blue eyes widened in strangled pain and as she opened her mouth to let out a screech of pain, Xin snatched the biggest pillow she was leaning on and shoved it against her face, muffling the scream that would alert anyone of her distress.

"Atta' girl," Xin cooed soothingly as Hatsune wailed into the pillow. "Just let it out, I'm here for you, Hatsune-Chan," She continued to coo over the muffled cries of agony. "Don't worry, Xinny will take such good care of you. By the end of this, Hatsune-Chan will be best friends with Xinny," She giggled irrationally.

When Xin pulled the pillow away from the sobbing kunoichi, she was terrified of the expression the Konoha native was wearing. "Now," Xin gently gripped Hatsune's hand, watching as it hung limply. "I'll be glad to heal this for Hatsune-Chan. I hope Hatsune-Chan has learned not to fuck around in other people's business. Otherwise...well..." Xin's fingers tightened around the appendage and Hatsune let out a sputtering sob. She quickly nodded, agreeing to whatever the foreign woman wanted.

"Good girl."

* * *

><p>Xin was smiling by the end of the day. After not using her chakra for such a long time, it was a relief to finally feel useful. A particular glint glittered in her eye as she made her way down the hall, passing Hatsune's room.<p>

She knew it had been far too long since she had done any real damage to a person when the feel of simply snapping Hatsune's wrist had her blood pumping. She was on the verge of snapping her arm when she fought it back, remembering where the hell she had been. So instead of inflicting more pain, Xin efficiently healed the brunette's wrist.

She had quietly explained to her what happened to her chakra and that it would eventually unseal. The damage done to her heart, however, was the reason she was confined to the hospital. She warned the brunette not to push herself unless she enjoyed spitting up blood. The brunette had glared at her the entire time, shooting dirty looks. Xin simply brushed them off. She had already showed who the dominant female was when it came to the two. Hatsune couldn't do anything to intimidate her at this point.

She had snidely pointed that out every chance she got.

It was safe to say the brunette hated her to her very core.

Her smile turned into a smirk. Good.

"Hyuga-San?"

Xin blinked, watching as Matsuri and Sari approached her. Did those girls ever do anything separately? Every time she saw one, the other wasn't too far off. And wait, did she just call her 'Hyuga-San'? Who the hell was she, Hyuga Manami? They were the same age. "Matsuri-Chan, Sari-Chan," Xin greeted politely. "Calling me Xin is fine. You make me sound old," Xin whined, waving the formality off. The best friends looked at her, noting the white coat covering her body.

"But you're a higher rank than us. Plus...you're marrying our Kazekage..." Sari trailed off, a slight disappointed look in her eyes. Xin resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How could she have forgotten that Sari was also apart of the psycho brigade?

She only shrugged her small shoulders. "Well, if that's the case, I'm giving you permission to just call me Xin, okay? You make me feel so old when you call me Hyuga-San. Like my Mother or something," She snorted, thinking of the beautiful woman.

The two nodded in sync. "I didn't know you were working at the hospital," Matsuri finally spoke up, studying the white coat. It was definitely a white lab coat that only the medical ninjas wore when they weren't wearing the medical jumpsuit.

"Ah, yeah. I trained under Lady Tsunade and thought it would be a good idea to put my skills to good use. Otherwise, I was wasting them on nothing. The council wants me to get more comfortable before they send me out on any missions," She hummed kindly. "But anyway, what brings you two here? Not injured or anything, right?" She quickly changed the subject before they could think of any questions. She really didn't feel like coming up with lies to go with the lie of her being comfortable. The council didn't give two shits about how she felt.

"We're visiting a friend of ours. Hatsune. She was admitted to the hospital yesterday, I believe," Matsuri stated. "In fact, I heard she was admitted after coming from the sparring arena with you, Xin. Did something go wrong?" Matsuri asked slowly.

Xin stared at the brunette, smiling sweetly. "Actually, yes. Unfortunately, I'm the one who put Hatsune-Chan in the hospital. It seems I was a little off when I used a special family technique on her, I'm afraid to say," She sighed sadly, as if she really cared. "I was her caretaker for today, in fact. I did everything in power to make up for putting her here in the first place. I just feel so awful. She was a little upset but that's understandable. But I did everything I could to make it up," Xin hummed innocently, rocking on her heels.

Matsuri stared at Xin, feeling off about Xin's explanation. If Xin was such a talented kunoichi like Konoha had boasted, how could she have made a mistake? Especially if it was her own family technique. "Well, I have to stop by the Kage's tower, I'll see you ladies later. Try not to overwhelm Hatsune-Chan, she's still recovering," Xin nodded to them, noticing the dark look in Matsuri's eyes. She wasn't sure if it was because she mentioned visiting Gaara or because she mentioned Hatsune.

With one wave, she swayed down the road.

* * *

><p>"Hatsune!"<p>

Hatsune nearly jumped out of her skin when the door was flung open and Sari and Matsuri all but scrambled in. She smiled softly as the two brunettes rushed to her side, fretting over her appearance. She allowed them to fret before finally calming them both down. "I'm fine, girls. Really. I'm alright."

"This was all that Hyuga woman's fault! She even admitted it. I bet she did it on purpose," Matsuri venomously spat, anger flickering in her dark eyes. Sari gasped at her friend's accusation. How could Matsuri say something like that?

"Matsuri!" She squeaked out. "Why would Xin do this purposely? She said she felt just awful about it and she did everything in her power to take care of Hatsune," Sari insisted in a high-pitched voice. She knew Matsuri was upset about the marriage. She, along with all those other women of Suna were upset about it as well.

But that didn't mean she had the right to go around accusing the foreign woman of purposely hurting their friend. It just wasn't right. They had no reason to believe Xin had any bad intentions towards any of them. To Sari, Xin seemed like a nice girl. A strange sense of humor, sure, but she still seemed nice.

"She..." Hatsune trailed off, biting her lip. Should she tell them? She knew the second Xin found out she had said anything, that woman would do more than just break her wrist. That woman was a demon, she could see it in those eyes. She was not humane. "I provoked her, she probably lost her cool because of the things I was shouting at her while we were sparring," Hatsune sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "I guess the words really got to her because she got all quiet and started to really concentrate on my patterns. I guess she was trying to prove me wrong and took it too far."

The room was quiet as the trio of brunettes stared at one another. "What did you say to her to make her angry enough to put her in the hospital?" Matsuri asked slowly.

"I called her weak and told she wasn't worthy of Gaara-Sama."

"Well, I suppose that's a little harsh."

Matsuri huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't care. I don't trust that woman. She gives me a strange vibe, I'm going to keep an eye for her," She stated firmly.

Hyuga Xin was not who she seemed to be.

–


End file.
